Barbara Rea on Grinding from an Early Age Saying Yes to Everything and Optimism

We’re in the middle of a pandemic--is now the time to say yes to new things and take some risks? Barbara Rea thinks so!

Barbara Rea joins Greg Bell for an intimate discussion on growing a career starting at age 12, to being adopted and how that shaped Barbara’s optimism, and what she would say to people who have imposter syndrome. 

Don’t miss this incredible discussion with the seasoned real estate leader, Barbara Rea.

Episode Highlights:

00:56 - Barbara’s Bamboo Story 05:23 - Where Barbara got her work ethic to work and make money 08:06 - Barbara’s Bamboo Circle 10:51 - How Barbara handles hard feedback 12:37 - How to be assertive 16:27 - How Barbara got into real estate 20:00 - What challenges Barbara experienced in her career and how she overcame them 23:27 - Advice to Barbara’s 15-year-old self 25:23 - Why right now is the best time to say yes to everything 27:46 - Where Barbara’s optimism comes from 29:40 - How being adopted has made Barbara the person she is today 33:44 - Advice for people with imposter syndrome

Guest at a Glance

Barbara Rea is a seasoned real estate professional with a demonstrated track record of leading and inspiring teams to improve operational productivity and profitability. Having successfully climbed the corporate ladder for 20 years, Barbara Rea earned her spot in the C-suite as one of the few women in her field. As a Chief Operating Officer for a private equity real estate firm, Barbara Rea played a critical role in raising $750 million in institutional equity, creating a profitable operating platform and hired more than 100 employees to build the business. While under her leadership, the firm grew to be on the 2019 Inc 5000 Fastest Growing Businesses, as well as Orange County Business Journal’s Best Places to work. She has been featured in many publications and is a frequent speaker at industry events to share her lessons learned to help others grow their businesses successfully.

Barbara ventured out on her own in 2020, creating Rea Advisory Group, and is currently working with growing businesses to determine how to maximize profitability and create enterprise value through corporate brand building and culture creation to inspire high performing teams. 

Additionally, Barbara is currently working on her debut business biography which is scheduled to release in in the Spring of 2021. She resides in Newport Beach, California with her husband, two sons and golden retriever.

Notable Quotes

“If you give something some attention, nurture it, you got to wait a little, it doesn't all happen right away.” “If you're struggling academically when you're younger, it really doesn't always dictate what you're going to do or be.” “Only people that really care about you give you that kind of tough and real feedback.” Greg: “If you go to lunch with somebody and you finish the lunch and you go to the bathroom, you see some green thing on your teeth, it's like, that wasn't a friend you were having lunch with.” “If you've got a seat at the table, Be present, let them know you're actually there.” “I follow people that I'm really inspired by and I want to learn more about, and actually I think that's just a great way to feed your brain.” “I think you get really branded in a space if you stay too long.” “As vocal as you are, and as sharp as you are, and the value that you add, sometimes you have to leave a company or a position to go get a little bit more credibility.” “If you have an opportunity to do something, step up, raise your hand step into it. Say yes.” “One door closes another opens and I think you got to look at your business that way.” “If I start thinking of myself as less than I'll certainly start showing up that way.”

Order the Water the Bamboo Book at https://amzn.to/3mPxcZu

Order the What's Going Well? Book at https://amzn.to/3rBePLy 

Learn more about Greg Bell

More than just a motivational speaker, Greg Bell is a Portland, Oregon based thought leader, business consultant, and leadership coach. His popular books, What’s Going Well? and Water The Bamboo: Unleashing The Potential Of Teams And Individuals, have inspired an array of organizations, from Fortune 500 companies like Nike, Disney, and Comcast, to the Portland Trail Blazers and Division I NCAA athletic teams like the Oregon Ducks Football and the Gonzaga Bulldogs Basketball. 

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